Does my mavic air 2 have rusted motors ?

[mattitech07]

Hi guys, I've had my MA2 for over one year now and it works fine, but the motors have what it looks like rust, and I'm not very surprised since I live in a humid area, even my old spark had that on the motors.But the motors seem to work completely fine, but what could be the effects of this type of rust on motors? How can I clean them? Is it really rust?
I also have the same problem on the external screws, but luckily the metal inside the battery compartment looks fine.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Considering how many flight i have taken in the Rain and never once even wiped the drone down this has never happened . Are you by saltwater. ?

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain. Land on the Water and Protect your Batteries.

 

[VenomXts]

Considering how many flight i have taken in the Rain and never once even wiped the drone down this has never happened . Are you by saltwater. ?

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain. Land on the Water and Protect your Batteries.

that has to be salt water and a lot of it over time.. same with my air2 and flying in mist and rain they look fine but its not salty.

 

[Yaros]

This is due to salt humid environment. I live in Mallorca and had the same problem with my Air 2. In only 6 months it got rust on the motors and screws, less than in your photos, but same problem. I crashed the drone 2 months ago (due to pilot error, not the rust) and got it replaced with DJI Care Refresh, the new one obviously has no rust as it is new, I will see how fast the rust will appear. I store it near silica gel (which comes in the package) and it seems to help a bit.

Be careful, as the rust might cause a crash, if the main board starts corroding, it might short circuit or disconnect in flight, causing the drone to fall without any warning or error message. If you are brave enough to disassemble the drone and check the state of the main board (only if the drone is out of warranty/care refresh) that would be great!

 

[mattitech07]

Considering how many flight i have taken in the Rain and never once even wiped the drone down this has never happened . Are you by saltwater. ?

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain. Land on the Water and Protect your Batteries.

I often fly by the sea and even my house isn't very far off the coast.
What can I do to clean the motors or even prevent them from corroding.

 

[mattitech07]

This is due to salt humid environment. I live in Mallorca and had the same problem with my Air 2. In only 6 months it got rust on the motors and screws, less than in your photos, but same problem. I crashed the drone 2 months ago (due to pilot error, not the rust) and got it replaced with DJI Care Refresh, the new one obviously has no rust as it is new, I will see how fast the rust will appear. I store it near silica gel (which comes in the package) and it seems to help a bit.

Be careful, as the rust might cause a crash, if the main board starts corroding, it might short circuit or disconnect in flight, causing the drone to fall without any warning or error message. If you are brave enough to disassemble the drone and check the state of the main board (only if the drone is out of warranty/care refresh) that would be great!

I don't want to dissassemble the drone but I can see that the screws inside the battery compartment aren't rusted so the other internal components should also be okay.

 

[Crow Horse]

I would venture a guess that a light coating of Corrosion X would minimize or prevent the formation of surface rust.

copy/pasted from their website.....

KILLS RUST AND CORROSION​

WORLD'S GREATEST LUBRICANT, PENETRANT & ANTI-SEIZE​

SAFE ON ELECTRONICS​

CorrosionX® is the most advanced and effective corrosion prevention compound, lubricant and penetrant in the world! Although it may look similar to other oil-based anti-corrosion sprays, CorrosionX utilizes revolutionary Polar Bonding™ and Fluid Thin Film Coating (FTFC™) technologies that together do far more than merely slow down the corrosion process like those so-called 'corrosion inhibitors'. CorrosionX actually disrupts rust and corrosion on the molecular level (displacing it from the metal surface and keeping it from spreading), and provides long-term protection against rust and corrosion on any metal surface.

CorrosionX is the only product readily available to the public that meets the U.S. Navy's tough new corrosion prevention and control performance requirement MIL-PRF-81309H.

Due to Polar Bonding, CorrosionX causes common metals and metal alloys such as iron, steel, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, brass, bronze, etc. to chemically behave more like noble metals such as gold and platinum, which are highly resistant to oxidation. CorrosionX also has a dielectric characteristic, so not only is it safe on electronics, CorrosionX shuts down electrolysis between dissimilar metals. Use CorrosionX wherever you want corrosion control without paint or wax coatings. A light spray of CorrosionX on power heads, gensets and engines a couple of times a year will keeping them looking like new – even in saltwater and coastal environments.

 

[Crow Horse]

I just read further on their website.

copy/pasted.....

Safe On Electronics​

Water and electronics don't mix. Until now, there haven't been many options for protecting or restoring electronics from moisture intrusion. CorrosionX's unique Polar Bonding Fluid Thin Film Coating (FTFC) technology displaces moisture and seals it out with a self-healing high dielectric coating. Even though CorrosionX has a dielectric property in excess of 39,000 volts, because it forms an ultra-thin film it does not interfere with electronics or heat dissipation. A must for all marine battery terminals, and a mission critical product for drones and all Remote Control hobbyists.

 

[Crow Horse]

Light rust can be easily removed with Never Dull (treated cotton wadding).

 

[Phantomrain.org]

I often fly by the sea and even my house isn't very far off the coast.
What can I do to clean the motors or even prevent them from corroding.

Keep in mind the Motors are Aluminum Brush-less and are designed to run under water, this is key to understand.

What I would recommend is you get the Wet Suit to protect the Drone and the Power button and the battery and the Prop Motors.

Based on the Number of flights we have in the Rain and that fact we never ever wipe the lens or the drone down and than just put it on shelf to dry . I would just keep a spray bottle with some water and spray it down lightly after each sea faring flight.


Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain , Land on the Water and Spray your drone down.

 

[Capt KO]

Spray lube is fine on the motors and screws. NOT on lenses! Light machine oil better. As said a light abrasive will remove the rust then spray occasionally to prevent further corrosion. I would buy a set of DJI screws online (cheaper than individually) and replace all visible ones. A drop of oil will keep them fresh. Failure to do so may prevent removal in future, maybe even now.

I fish saltwater with my Phantoms and have to do screw replacement regularly. Stripped screw heads are a pain.

 

[jakub.spe]

I do have the same problem and it keeps me worried every time I am in the air. All 4 motors of my Air 2 look rusty.

 

[Droning on and on...]

Keep in mind the Motors are Aluminum Brush-less and are designed to run under water, this is key to understand.

This^^^

Unless I'm mistaken, the bell is made of aluminum. That simply can't be rust. If it were oxidation, it would be white.

My money's on some organic substance in the air released by local foliage/plants that's stained the metal.

As for the screw, could be rust, but those screws are black oxidized, which should provide protection against rust.

 

[mattitech07]

This^^^

Unless I'm mistaken, the bell is made of aluminum. That simply can't be rust. If it were oxidation, it would be white.

My money's on some organic substance in the air released by local foliage/plants that's stained the metal.

As for the screw, could be rust, but those screws are black oxidized, which should provide protection against rust.

I was thinking that maybe its because I usually leave the drone on a shelf in my room,rather than its bag, maybe there's been some sort of abrupt temperature variation or something else must have happened when opening and closing the window.